Feb 20, 2017

National Newswatch – Terry Pedwell

Canadians voice support for Muslims amid ‘hatred’ unleashed on Liberal MPs

Heritage Minister Melanie Joly who this week fronted the Liberal support for Motion 103 which rejects Islamophobia got a first-hand salvo of hateful invective for her support from social media.  Her Facebook account was riddled with derogatory and sexually demeaning threats.  The motion’s sponsor, Mississauga-Erin Mills MP Iqra Khalid, was given police protection as well after an extensive barrage of similar invective.  http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2017/02/17/canadians-voice-support-for-muslims-amid-hatred-unleashed-at-liberal-mp-3/#.WKc7Dm_yuUk   Related article: CTV News – Laura Peyton    Liberal MP Iqra Khalid reads threats she’s received over Motion 103   http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberal-mp-iqra-khalid-reads-threats-she-s-received-over-motion-103-1.3288801     Related article:  CBC News – Tom Parry    Police offer extra protection to MP Iqra Khalid following threatening messages – Khalid says she has received threats over motion condemning Islamophobia   http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/khalid-police-protection-messages-islamophobia-1.3989476    Related article:  CBC News – Aaron Wherry   Anti-Islamophobia debate might define both Liberals and Conservatives – Liberals want to talk about leadership, while Conservatives wrestle with defining the problem   http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/wherry-motion-103-trudeau-1.3985976  Related article: National Post – Andrew Coyne   Hysteria from Conservatives over harmless motion on Islamophobia   http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/andrew-coyne-conservative-hysteria-over-harmless-motion-on-islamophobia   Related article: Globe and Mail – Editorial (Feb 17, 2017)   It’s time for Quebec to kill Bill 62, and stop targeting religious minorities   http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/its-time-for-quebec-to-kill-bill-62-and-stop-targeting-religious-minorities/article34073614/    Related article: Toronto Star Editorial (Feb. 20, 2017)   Threats against female politicians must stop now    https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2017/02/20/threats-against-female-politicians-must-stop-now-editorial.html

National Newswatch – Jordan Press, Canadian Press

Feds to overhaul victims’ fund where administrative costs far outstrip benefits

A factor of fourteen is the apparent ratio between what the government victim services cost to administer vs what grants are given to people impacted by crime.  Intended as a fund to aid parents or murdered or missing children, the fund, originally budgeted at $10 million per year, has become so laden with rules and regulations that many parents struggling with the loss of a child are judged ineligible for the funding. The total payout since the fund started in 2013 has been about 1% of the three year budget. Individually, the program offers a maximum of $350 per week for 35 weeks. A federal review of the policies is anticipated. http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2017/02/20/feds-to-overhaul-victims-fund-where-administrative-costs-far-outstrip-benefits/#.WKrXiG_yuUk

Toronto Star – Wendy Gillis

Friends seek answers as SIU probes death of 60-year-old Toronto woman

The article offers some insight about gaps in the capacity of Metro police, and presumably many other police agencies, to respond to those in interaction with police while suffering distress around mental illness.  Amleset Haile, a 60-year-old Ethiopia native, suffered from bouts with mental illness and dementia.  Police have a special unit for these cases but no services available overnight.  The article also highlights the difficulty of getting information in police involved incidents from either the SIU or Metro police themselves.  https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/02/20/friends-seek-answers-as-siu-probes-death-of-60-year-old-toronto-woman.html

CBC News – Matthew Bragga

Canadian policies on cellphone searches at border aren’t easy to find – Legal experts say that lack of transparency makes it difficult for travellers to know their rights

Recently Canadians crossing the US-Canada border have been confronted with a demand to present cell phones and com putters for inspection and to provide any passwords.  The lack of transparency in exactly how far agents can go, and what the rights of the traveller are is causing considerable discomfort at the actual border exchange.  Additionally, Canada now has a Bill C-23 which gives pre-clearance US border guards more authority over Canadians still technically in Canada.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/cbsa-border-smartphone-laptop-electronic-device-search-policy-1.3986496   Related article: Toronto Star – Heather Mallick   Making borderline choices about personal data: Problems that seem minor at home become massively important when a traveller is alone with U.S. border guards, intimidated and unsure   https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/02/20/making-borderline-choices-about-personal-data-mallick.html

Globe and Mail – Benjamin Perrin

Victims of crime pay the real price for unreasonable delays

Perrin is a law professor at UBC who estimates that there are 2.2 million victims of crime in Canada each year and that more from unreported crime.  Perrin is of the opinion that the recent Jordan decision establishing 18 months time limit for provincial and 30 months for Superior Court is “a cure worse than the disease.”  In 2014-15, he says, some 50,000 cases took more than a year to complete. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/victims-of-crime-pay-the-real-price-of-unreasonable-delay/article34077444/